Associate of Manchester synagogue attacker 'plotted MoD terror attack', court told
Mohammad Bashir and Jihad Al-Shamie conducted hostile reconnaissance at the UK Defence Academy in Swindon two months before the fatal Heaton Park Synagogue attack
A “long-standing, committed jihadist” planned a terror attack on a defence base with the man who went on to commit a fatal knife rampage at a Manchester synagogue, a court has heard.
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Mohammad Bashir, 31, drove Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, on a 10-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, on August 14 last year before they deliberately disposed of their mobile phones.
Less than two months later, Al-Shamie was shot dead by police on October 2 while he carried out his terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in which two worshippers were killed.
Following the attack, WhatsApp messages and voice note exchanges between the pair were uncovered when police analysed two phones seized from Al-Shamie when he was arrested in February 2025 over an alleged breach of a non-molestation order, and in September 2025 when he was held on suspicion of rape, Manchester Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC said: “The prosecution case is that Mohammad Bashir is a long-standing, committed jihadist.
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“The attack that was being planned was of the sort that Jihad Al-Shamie in fact carried out on October 2, an attack involving weapons that would cause multiple fatalities and have national and international impact.
“Analysis of Bashir and Al-Shamie’s messages to each other demonstrated they were both close associates and both shared an extremist worldview.
“They were both interested in, and regularly discussed, violent jihad.”
Last month, Bashir, of Shaftesbury Road, Cheetham, pleaded guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts.
Manchester-born Bashir, who also holds a Pakistani passport, has no previous convictions.
Bashir was arrested at Manchester Airport on November 27 but was not charged in relation to the synagogue attack.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died after Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, drove his Kia Picanto into the gates of the synagogue and began attacking with a knife, wearing a fake suicide belt.
MoD Shrivenham is the home of the UK Defence Academy, the court heard, which provides professional defence and security education to the British Armed Forces, wider UK government, UK industry and overseas personnel.
Routinely, there will be up to 4,000 staff, contractors, students and visitors on site at any given time.
The two-day sentencing hearing continues.
CCTV footage of the two men at the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill also formed a key part of the prosecution case, the court heard.
On August 8, the pair sat at the back of the mosque believing, “erroneously as it transpired”, that their activities would not be captured on camera or that their conversations would be heard.
The next day, the pair were captured talking alone together in the main prayer room, where Al-Shamie was heard to say: “I wish we had a weapon. We need to get one. Crossbow. Is there a way for us to go in?”
Later in the same conversation, Bashir says: “You got me really excited.”Al-Shamie replies: “Once we go there, we’re not coming back. Once we go to the mission.
“Prepare to say bye to loved ones, any last debts we could pay off or any fines.”
As they exit the mosque, Al-Shamie says: “It’s exciting.”
Bashir replies: “This is like, this time next year, we will be in green birds.”
Mr Polnay said a terrorism expert had noted that in Islamic literature, the “green birds of paradise are intimately linked to notions of martyrdom”.
The Crown said that Al-Shamie’s Picanto stopped at the MoD base on the late morning of August 14 for approximately 15 minutes.
Around that time, Al-Shamie made an entry in his iPhone notes entitled “Espionage”, which read: “Walk in, there’s a desk from one side to the other, two old women sat there.
“Behind them is a corridor. Either side are two rooms open. Women coming in and out at the back of building there’s a door that leads to a search bay.”
Mr Polnay said: “This is plainly a description of the reception area of the Defence Academy.”
On August 15, the pair met up at the Al Sunnah mosque and later sat together in the Picanto in the car park.
While in the vehicle, Al-Shamie made numerous internet searches including “defence academy swindon”, “uk military blue uniform” and “suicide vest fancy dress”.
The Crown said there was no evidence to suggest Bashir was involved in the planning of the attack at Heaton Park.
However, prosecutors said Bashir and Al-Shamie were motivated by their anti-Semitic views in targeting the defence base, and that Al-Shamie had made several internet searches for IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers training in Britain.
From late August, the attention of Al-Shamie appeared to turn to the Heaton Park synagogue, the court was told, with searches relating to that location and people associated with it such as local rabbis.
He also looked online for meat cleavers and “travel bags for them”, followed by a search on September 22 for “yom kippur massacre of nature”.
Al-Shamie went on to stab one man to death at the Heaton Park synagogue and injured three others, the court heard, while a stray bullet from police struck and killed another man.
Sentencing will be passed by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb from 10am on Thursday.
